Thread: Cat Scratch Fever!

Dude you look like you went a few rounds too many with the heavyweight champ!

Actually after I had my first shave with a straight I'm not sure my face looked much better to be honest. I didn't have the cuts like you but I had redness and splotches and irritation in spades.

As we say some pick this thing up easy and some hard, some fast and some slow. It does get better and down the road you will look back and laugh.

Kentriv,

I had my 8th straight shave today, and I have to say, things came together for me.

My lather came together nice. I am using Colleen's Black Cavendish. NICE!!! Good volume and it was thick. I always work it into my face with the brush for about a minute. For me, that's the single most important point. Let it soak in and work it into the beard. Don't consider getting the lather on to your mug the task, but instead getting it into your face and pores a bit.

I soak my Proraso boar brush in a sink of hot water while I'm in the shower. B&B brush on the way, can't wait. It stays a bit warm, though I don't use a scuttle.

The razor I used was newly honed by me, and though I didn't try any tests, it cut through the beard on the first pass like I've never experienced. Very smooth. I did a small pyramid on a 4k/8k stone and finished with 20 passes on a Shapton 15k. I then stropped with 30 passes on linen and 30 on leather.

I looked in he mirror and didn't have any irritation ( a first for me, including when I used a Mach 3). I also didn't have any cuts. It was truly my best shave ever.

Last, I had a new bottle of Pinaud Clubman which I used for the first time today. Now, I love the smell, and just like Lynn mentions in his video, it brings me back to an old time barbershop. Only complaint, I had cloying taste in the roof and back of my throat after I put it on my face. I think this was due to the vapors/smell. I couldn't do anything about it. I tried drinking milk, etc... and it just went away with time. So, I may not be using Pinaud in the future. I am going to give it a try tomorrow and I'm crossing my fingers as I like the stuff. If not, the generic Aqua Velva works great for me.

Anyway, take care and hang in there. You've got balls to continue after the bloodletting that you look like you endured. Rock on.

John

Go and look at some of the good hints on this forum about how to generate a good lather. Use a really good quality shaving cream or soap from a company like Taylor's or Trumper. Also, you can order a sample pack from Colleen ('churley' on these forums) and experiment to see which product is kinder to your skin.

Another thing that is essential is to freshen up your lather whenever it dries. I am not sure why so many guys are hesitant to do this, but it will make a huge difference. Don't take a pass with your razor over an area unless it is completely slick. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble.

Yeah, I have actually already ordered some of her soaps, along with Mama Bears. I also have some soap coming from Crabtree and Evelyn with my new Super Badger Brush from them. Anyway, I gave up on the William's that I was using. It just wasn't working out. I think glycerin will make a difference in the lubrication. Today I shaved was with Proraso cream, and that made a big difference. Much easier to build a lather with the cream, and it cushioned much better. I wrote about that experience in the soap forum. Only cut my face once on an over grown zit. This was also my eighth shave. I recommend Proraso to any of you other newbies that are experiencing similar problems as me. It is easy to get at your local Target and I have heard it is old under a different name and Bath and Body Works, though I am guessing it still wont compare to Colleen's and Mama Bear's stuff.

Anyway, I really intended this post to inspire some kind hearted chuckling and some good old fashioned "Look at the young one trying to shave him self." I am really touched that you guys seem so concerned about me, but don't worry as most of those cuts were from the first shave, and things have become much much better, and will continue to do so.

Yes, there was quite a bit of blood, and many would have quit and went crying home to momma. Many would have put down their razors and slowly backed away. Many would have fainted right then and there. But I'm not one of those. I've seen a fair amount of blood in my day. One doesn't grow up in a wood shop without such experiences. I shot a nail through my left index finger once. Damn straight I've got balls, three of them. I love shaving this way and I wont give it up for anything. You guys can plan on hearing me rant and rave for a long long time. Mwahahaha

Matt (the crazy one)

For the first few weeks I looked worse than that, I looked like I'd gone through a car windshield.

Mine were all due to things like:

Not being aware of where the spike point is at all times
Girlfriend bursting in to the bathroom to get eyeliner.
Girlfriend dropping an ironing board against the outside of the (now locked) bathroom door.
Lather too thick.
Lather too thin.
Rushing.
Trying to plan a work project in my head instead of concentrating.
Bumping my elbow on the shower cubicle.

Etc etc.

The annoying part was I found I opened up previous nicks if I wasn't very very careful, so they looked worse and took longer to heal.

Once I cut out the interruptions, got my lather consistant, concentrated on what I was doing etc things improved greatly. These days I rarely cut myself, and most of my old cuts have healed up with just 1 or 2 leaving small scars behind.

The only time I looked that bad was when I intentionally overhoned my blade and used it for a week or so.
I know, I know; that's like saying, "I smacked myself in the forehead with a hammer to be sure I knew what it would feel like".

X

Originally Posted by Steelforge

For the first few weeks I looked worse than that, I looked like I'd gone through a car windshield.

Mine were all due to things like:

Not being aware of where the spike point is at all times
Girlfriend bursting in to the bathroom to get eyeliner.
Girlfriend dropping an ironing board against the outside of the (now locked) bathroom door.
Lather too thick.
Lather too thin.
Rushing.
Trying to plan a work project in my head instead of concentrating.
Bumping my elbow on the shower cubicle.

Etc etc.

The annoying part was I found I opened up previous nicks if I wasn't very very careful, so they looked worse and took longer to heal.

Once I cut out the interruptions, got my lather consistant, concentrated on what I was doing etc things improved greatly. These days I rarely cut myself, and most of my old cuts have healed up with just 1 or 2 leaving small scars behind.

Funny you mention the girlfriend bursting through the door. My bathroom isn't very big and its the only one in the house. I don't have a girl coming in for eyeliner, but I do have a room mate and an Australian Shepherd. As the sink is right by the door, that was a major concern of mine. I always lock the door. Now the roomie isn't around much, but the dog is. If you know anything about Aussies, they love/need to be right next to you at all times, and mine is no exception. She would always try to get into the bathroom with me while I'm shaving. The problem is there isn't any room. I was worried she would either bump me while I was shaving, or else try and push through the door from outside. So I started locking the door.

I am glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who cut my self up this badly, and you say you got it worse. Man I would hate to imagine what that was like. I heard learning on a spike was a little trickier.

Matt

Welcome to the SRP! It is good to have a member with tenacity like you have. The Williams soap is what I started with also and I had the sme problems. One of the solutions was to add some hair conditioner or some mineral oil, just a drop of either one on top of the soap cake. Of course the better solution was to purchase a quality soap. The one thing that has really helped is to rub in a preshave and to also rub in the lather. This has given me extra "glide" on my skin.
The next best change I made was to concentrate on using just the minimum of pressure while shaving.

Give your face time to heal!

Welcome aboard... I didn´t think anyone could look worse than me learning with a Pakistani piece of scrap metal, but we have a new winner Here are a couple observations from a fellow veteran...
1) Williams is just fine and you can work up a lather with just about anything as long as you´re patient and use enough water. With that being said, I´d rather use some of Colleen´s goodies lol.
2) Let your face rest from any kind of shaving and give it a chance to heal up. It ain´t easy but waiting pays huge dividends.
3) Use an antibiotic ointment to let them heal or at least some vaseline to prevent scarring.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

2) Let your face rest from any kind of shaving and give it a chance to heal up. It ain´t easy but waiting pays huge dividends.

Learning to shave is also easier if the hairs are a bit longer. I generally shave every other day.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

3) Use an antibiotic ointment to let them heal or at least some vaseline to prevent scarring.

If it's bad enough for that, go see a doctor.
People shouldn't decide for themselves whether they need antibiotics or not.
That is why most european countries don't allow pharmacists to sell antibiotics without prescription.